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Yes it is correct that MS is much more prevalent in locations that are more northern, geographically speaking. Sometimes you hear Canada referred to as the "MS capital of the world" as the rates are higher and the "general" population has a higher predisposition to the disease, such as European ancestry.

Hmmm........please do a little more research. This topic has been discussed here before. There is very little if any incidences of M.S. north of Canada. The European ancestry, maybe?? Diet, maybe?? Anatomy, maybe?? There has to be more to it though. As yet, no one really knows.

I don't see a conflict. Living in the north means a lack of sun which means lower Vitamin D. The Inuit eat a diet high in animal fat which is high in Vit D. If the European north ate like Inuit then maybe there would be less MS. Wait, hasn't that been shown in Finland and Sweden? I follow the McDougall diet but add eggs and cold-water fish. It's been 6 months since diagnosed with MS. No further attacks of vertigo since changing diet but I'm on monthly Tysabri infusions as well.

koneall wrote:I don't see a conflict. Living in the north means a lack of sun which means lower Vitamin D. The Inuit eat a diet high in animal fat which is high in Vit D. If the European north ate like Inuit then maybe there would be less MS. Wait, hasn't that been shown in Finland and Sweden? I follow the McDougall diet but add eggs and cold-water fish. It's been 6 months since diagnosed with MS. No further attacks of vertigo since changing diet but I'm on monthly Tysabri infusions as well.

kevin

Friends that grew up in the Philippines and Jamaica say they still have vitamin d deficiency there. Maybe even M.S. as they don't have the technology we do here. Their words, not mine. I think their skin colour has something to do with the vitamin d deficiency. They don't absorb as much vitamin d as we think they would. And they eat a lot of fish/seafood. Maybe not the whale fat that has a lot of vitamin d. It was never confirmed what kind of M.S. that I have but I did have vision problems once a year for a week or two for 3 years a long time ago. No evidence of optic neuritis for awhile now. Have just gotten weaker slowlyyyy. No M.S. drugs were ever offered to me.

I managed 2 hours on the track, bundled with only my nose and cheeks exposed. I live in high-plains desert around 7000ft above sea level. My nose is a little sunburned so can I assume I absorbed significant amounts of Vitamin D?

According to Dr Coimbra and several other doctors, not only is geography a factor, but apparently many people have a genetic quirk that makes them resistant to properly assimilating vitamin D. This is the basis of the Coimbra protocol which advocates massive doses of D. From what I've read, 20 minutes of mid day summer sun in a bathing suit will give you all the vitamin D a normal person needs per day. If you have this genetic resistance however, you won't get enough no matter how much sun you get. That may explain why places like Sardinia has a high rate of MS. Sardinia had a malaria epidemic many years ago - the people who survived were genetically resistant to both malaria and vitamin D since the two genetic quirks are related. I'm not a doctor or medical person, but this is what I've read on several Coimbra related sites.

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